Overview

Before Michael Connelly became a novelist, he was a crime reporter, covering the detectives who worked the homicide beat. In these vivid, hard-hitting pieces, Connelly leads the reader past the yellow police tape as he follows the investigators, the victims, their families and friends—and of, course, the killers—to tell the real stories of murder and its aftermath.

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Overview

Before Michael Connelly became a novelist, he was a crime reporter, covering the detectives who worked the homicide beat. In these vivid, hard-hitting pieces, Connelly leads the reader past the yellow police tape as he follows the investigators, the victims, their families and friends—and of, course, the killers—to tell the real stories of murder and its aftermath.

Editorial Reviews

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The Barnes & Noble Review
The same qualities that make for an outstanding crime reporter -- attention to detail, understanding people, empathy, etc. -- also make for a great crime novelist, as evidenced in Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers, a gripping collection of newspaper articles written by bestselling author Michael Connelly (The Lincoln Lawyer, The Closers, et al.), when he worked as a journalist in South Florida and Los Angeles before becoming a full-time writer.

The collection of almost two dozen exposés from the late 1980s and early 1990s ranges from stories focusing on cops (former LAPD Chief Daryl Gates in "Death Squad") to those spotlighting infamous killers (serial murderer/rapist Christopher Bernard Wilder in "Killer on the Run"). "Trunk Music," which explores the unsolved gangland-style murder of a businessman found bound and shot to death in the trunk of his Rolls-Royce, was the inspiration behind Connelly's 1997 novel of the same name.

The phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" couldn't be more apt when it comes to the incredibly diverse subject matter of Crime Beat -- from demented serial killers to savvy con artists to overzealous police. Fans of Connelly's novels featuring former LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch will gain invaluable insights not only into Connelly's complex and engaging protagonist but also into the equally complex and engaging author himself. Additionally, aficionados of true crime will absolutely devour this powerful nonfiction collection -- yellow crime scene police tape not included. Paul Goat Allen

Charles Taylor

Connelly is particularly good in a section titled "Death Squad," about a case involving a Los Angeles Police Department squad that surreptitiously followed people suspected of criminal activity and allowed crimes to take place. The reasoning was that the cops would then have a better chance of convicting them once they were arrested. In the case Connelly writes about, it allowed the cops to act as executioners right after the crime. This is exactly the sort of subject that calls for hardheadedness, and Connelly supplies it, not in his prose but in his determination not to take the word of authority simply because it comes from authority. The articles that make up "Death Squad" suggest there is a place for the hard-boiled influence in reporting. Not by aping the prose of Chandler and his progeny, but by following the motto of a less glamorous icon, Jack Webb's Joe Friday: Just the facts.
— The New York Times

Patrick Anderson

Every generation produces reporters whose talent is essentially novelistic and for whom journalism is a way station on the road to fiction. Hemingway was the classic example of the 20th century, but there are many others -- Tom Wolfe was one, and so is Connelly. For instance, here's the lead of the first crime story reprinted in the book, from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 1987: "It has been four days since anybody has heard from or seen Walter Moody, and people are thinking that something is wrong." It's not the typical who-what-when-where-why-and- how formula of police reporting. Connelly was always looking for mood, drama, eccentricity, the telling detail. One of the fascinations of this collection is spotting the police-beat details -- the fellow with teardrops tattooed below his eyes, the detective who chewed the earpiece of his glasses -- that later punctuate the Bosch novels.
— The Washington Post

Publishers Weekly

Connelly's fondly remembered memoir of his pre-novel writing years as a crime reporter splits reading duties among three performers: Broadway veteran Cariou, acclaimed director Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress) and familiar audiobook voice McKeon. Cariou's starchy sincerity tangles manfully with McKeon's soothing, dulcet tones and Franklin's unassuming earnestness. Connelly himself gets things started by reading his own introduction, setting the stage by explaining the intimate relationship between his years on the crime beat and his current life as a mystery writer. The rotating chorus of voices is a pleasant change from the usual monotony of single narrators, with the three readers mixing things up for listeners with varied approaches to Connelly's book. Franklin is undoubtedly the least trained of the three, his voice the least varnished with the polish of long practice, but with all due respect to Cariou and McKeon's fine work, he is the most enjoyable reader. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 13). (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Connelly (The Lincoln Lawyer), one of the more literary of the neonoir novelists, got his start as a crime beat reporter in Los Angeles and Florida. Here he reprints the stories that inspired his award-winning crime fiction. From the body found in a trunk, which he used in his novel Trunk Music, to the insights on cops and killers that would inform The Poet and the character of detective Harry Bosch, these collected articles show that the truth can be as strange-and even stranger than-fiction and every bit as compelling. Through it all, Connelly displays the discerning eye and compassion that characterize his best work. The one problem with the format is that the stories and their follow-ups are printed verbatim; as a result, there is much repetition among articles on the same crime. This is a distracting but minor point in a book that is otherwise a treat. For all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/06.]-Deirdre Root, Middletown P.L., OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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Ho Hum!

After the first few sentences, this book bored the hell out of this reader. having read the newspapers, all the rehashed stories were redundant. Connelly could've done much, much, MUCH better. Can a reader say refund?

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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hansengolfers

Posted February 20, 2010

More of a diary than a book

I threw it away half way through

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted August 25, 2009

Crime Beat Audio Book by Michael Connely

Very disappointed. It was about different stories he wrote about as a newspaper man. There was no story behind any of them. I gave it away before the last cd was finished.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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PhyllisL

Posted October 30, 2013

not my favorite...reader put me to sleep

not my favorite...reader put me to sleep

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted December 28, 2011

I BOUGHT THIS BOOKIN 2003 AND LOVED IT!

I have read this book like 5 times and love it more and more each time!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Reviews-ReadersFavorite

Posted December 24, 2011

I like Bosch¿s logical step by step process of culling through the clues in a case...

Reviewed by Stephen B for Readers Favorite

"Christmas Even"

A pawn shop owner suffering from repeated break-ins discovers what is at first assumed to be the dead body of the burglar still in his place of business. Harry Bosch, Los Angeles homicide detective, and his partner investigate and discover that things aren¿t always what they seem to be. How is the death connected to a saxophone found in the burglar¿s apartment, which was specially made for a famous jazz musician?

"Father¿s Day"

On the annual holiday Bosch investigates the death of a real estate¿s infant son. The child had some health problems, causing challenges for the parents. Suspicion falls upon the father who left the child unattended in an overheated automobile. Bosch negotiates the intricacies of the case as well as contemplating the facts about his relationship with his own child.

"Angle of Investigation"

Two days on the job, rookie patrolman and Vietnam veteran Harry Bosch and his training partner discover the corpses of a dog and its owner in a residential bathtub. Present day Bosch, ensconced in the cold cases department with partner Kiz Rider, tackles the decades¿ old murder.

This is another collection of short stories from Michael Connelly. These show the determined and dedicated homicide detective who will not give up on the little things about a case. I like Bosch¿s logical step by step process of culling through the clues in a case. This is especially shown in the first and last stories. Since I listened to an audio version of these stories I also have to state that the narrator in his slow precise style helped the stories along. He was clear and Connelly¿s style came through clearly. As a Bosch fan, I recommend taking small bites out of your day to listen to these stories.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted May 5, 2010

Not for fiction lovers!

I am currently about 3/4 through this book. I am very disappointed and much prefer his fiction. This is like reading the same thing over and over because it will cover a case from police view, journalist view, TV views etc. and each one repeats much of the same details.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted April 10, 2010

Not as entertaining as Connelly's fiction, this accumulation of newspaper articles seems repetitive and boring.

Expecting something more like true-life stories in the vein of Harry Bosch or other Michael Connelly characters, I was disappointed by the way the material was presented, as newspaper articles. Sometimes a number of articles going over the same information became boring because it was so repetitive. I'm going to stick to his fiction, which I thoroughly enjoy, from now on.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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CRIME BEAT

I am an avid reader. I love James Patterson, John Grisham, Janet Evanovich books, but someone recommended that I try Michael Connelly. I couldn't finish the book. It just didn't seem to be going anywhere, so after reading about one-third of it, I put it down and have no desire to pick it up again.

I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Just be prepared to laugh out loud when you read them!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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AvidReaderinPflugerville

Posted March 2, 2009

Sort of disappointing.

I didn't feel this book was to the standard of other Michael Connelly books I have read. I know it was a compilation of stories he worked on years back, but it was not very cohesive and it seemed to include lots of duplicated material.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted September 21, 2006

Michael Connelly, Shame on You!

Never have I quit on a Michael Connelly book, but there is a first time for everything! There was none of the excitement of his other books just boring recounts of old stories. I kept thinking it would get better, but by page 56, I knew it was a stinker!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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RebelReader

Posted December 14, 2009

Predictable

Good quick read. Short chapters with good start - stop places.

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Anonymous

Posted March 9, 2009

It started off a little slow but really got into the book.

It started off a little slow but really got into the book.

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proof that truth is stranger than fiction

Whoever said truth was stranger than fiction might have been referring to bestselling author Connelly's first foray into non-fiction, Crime Beat. While all of us recognize his name thanks to such list toppers as The Lincoln Lawyer, Chasing the Dime and Blood Work, few may know that before writing novels he was a crime reporter, assigned to homicides. Crime Beat is a collection of the pieces he wrote during that time and are, if you can believe it, often even more chilling than his fictional tales. Admittedly, he found inspiration for many of his novels in his reporting days yet the pieces included in Crime Beat are even more compelling as they are related in the voices of the victims, their families, and the detectives who handled the cases. And, what voices they are! Len Cariou captures with his stage trained elocution and knife sharp diction. This Tony winner gives a first rate performance as the initial narrator explaining how Connelly came to be fascinated by police work. The second voice we hear is that of actress Nancy McKeon who grips listeners with her reading of the heartbreak of a victim's family. Many audio edition fans will remember her narration of Faye Kellerman's Street Dreams. Actor/director Carl Franklin whose films as a director include Devil A Blue Dress and One True Thing rounds out this stellar trio, reading with cool assurance. An added bonus is an introduction by Connelly. As for the actual crimes? Listening is believing and frightening, indeed, ranging from a psychopathic mass murderer who posed as a fashion photographer to a husband who hired someone to beat his wife to death. True crime enthusiasts will be enthralled. - Gail Cooke

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Anonymous

Posted June 22, 2006

Very Disappointing - Yawn!

Felt as though one of my absolute favorite authors let me down. I hope Connelly is not experiencing writer's block. I cannot think of any other reason to publish this collection of repetitive true crime newspaper articles. Admittedly he appears to have been a good reporter but I don't get the point of putting these into book form - especially without any additional observations or insights. It doesn't work. I have always considered Connelly to be an insightful author with great integrity and humanity - kind of like his own Harry Bosch - but the concept of this book seemed insincere. I was tempted to ask for my money back but will just keep it in my library with my beloved complete collection of Connelly books and will have to anxiously await his next book - as long as it is not a collection of his newspaper articles. I loved Lincoln Lawyer - a cool new character and I would very much enjoy getting to know him better.

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Anonymous

Posted June 3, 2006

A Waste of Time

What a disappointment! I love all of Connelly's books and was looking forward to a riveting read, but this is just a collection of old newspaper articles (1984, etc.) with no new info or comments from the author. There are several articles about each incident, so, as with newspapers, each subsequent article reintroduces the previously known facts. You end up reading the same information over and over. I gave up about halfway through the book.

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Anonymous

Posted May 20, 2006

A big letdown

I love Connelly's books and had high hopes for this one, after reading his introduction on how he came to be a crime writer and novelist. But what follows is simply a collection of what appears to be old newspaper stories about crime cases from the 80's and early 90's. There is no new insight or reflection on the author's part. I gave up about halfway through, but I still look forward to Connelly's next novel.

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Anonymous

Posted May 19, 2006

Disappointing

Michael Connelly is probably my favorite author of crime fiction, but this half hearted nonfiction effort is a huge waste of time. I realize this is nonfiction but none of Connelly's considerable creativity is used to make the 'true crime' stories even mildly interesting. Please Michael in the future stick to fiction and leave the nonfiction work to others more suited to the task.

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Anonymous

Posted May 7, 2006

I feel ripped off!

I really look forward to Connelly's books. I eagerly bought this one expecting his usual top drawer detective mystery writing. What I got instead was a dull rehash of crime stories that he wrote in the past as a reporter in Florida and Los Angeles. There is no reader satisfaction in this kind of writing.

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